Aligning a whole school's curriculum: IB Programme of Inquiry review and self-study

The challenge

The school needed to complete its IB PYP self-study, required to keep its authorization, in less than one academic year. Its Programme of Inquiry, the school-wide map of units, also needed to meet Mexico's national standards and U.S. standards while staying balanced across IB concepts and skills.

Part 1: Programme of Inquiry review

I designed a seven-step review that grade-level teams worked through together:

1. Science and social studies coverageChecked units against Mexico's national (SEP) standards and U.S. standards, including NGSS.
2. Literacy and math integrationWove Common Core standards into each unit.
3. Central ideas and lines of inquiryRevised them for clarity and depth across two sessions.
4. Balance auditChecked coverage of IB key concepts, learner profile attributes, and approaches to learning, using a grade-level balance tool I created.
5. Vertical alignmentCompared units across grade levels for each transdisciplinary theme.
6. Unit sequenceSet the order of units based on topics, concepts, and standards.
7. Assessments and resourcesBrainstormed assessments and activities as grade-level teams and matched read-aloud books to units.

The result was a revised, vertically aligned Programme of Inquiry with standards-mapped unit planners for every grade.

Part 2: Self-study through teacher committees

I organized teachers into committees aligned to the IB Standards and Practices. Each committee evaluated the school's performance, identified strengths and gaps, gathered evidence, and proposed next steps. Teachers chose their committees to build ownership, and I worked with leadership to protect regular meeting time.

Samples

Outcome

The school passed its self-study evaluation, and the IB recognized both the work completed and the plan for continued improvement. Teachers came away with a school-wide action plan they had built themselves.